Walid Battal
Did you know? Crickets are well known to be a very beneficial protein source for human consumption. Even if it’s not common to find insect lovers who prefer crickets over meat, this neglected dish is served nowadays at some Londonian restaurants. Cricket tacos, whole roasted crickets, cricket crumble…, henceforth, menus include a variety of crickets or other insects presented in different gastronomic ways. But surely, that’s only a niche food even if the United Nations claimed it to be a sustainable protein source that could help combat food shortages soon.
Indeed, agrifood startups focused on farming insects and bugs for animal and pet food. According to an analysis posted by the Food and Humanity journal, insect-based livestock feeds (valued around $1.4 billion in 2021 and expected to reach $4.63 billion by 2027) are unlikely to become economically viable in the near future for human consumption, but surely will help feeding animals. By proposing such kind of animal feed, farmers can save up in natural resources normally dedicated for this matter. Instead, they will use bugs and insects, which are of course cheaper and widely available in large quantities. Indeed, feeding poultry and fish with bugs is seen as helping the food industry address the deforestation and fish-depletion issues linked to producing soy and fish meals. That’s why some of the biggest agri-food firms have been trying to tap such opportunities. However, unless significant technology advancements are made sooner, even that field of bugs is not yet ready to become commonly preferred. In fact, producing insect meal for animal feed is still costly and cannot compete with soy and fish meal.